Rutgers Olympic Sports: We got a title to show off

Men's Track & Field

The Rutgers men's indoor track and field team captured the 2015 Metropolitan Indoor Championship title last Friday as the Knights took gold in five events.  Jospeh Velez (weight throw), Emeka Eze (long jump) and Rajee Dunbar (60m, 200m, 4x400m relay team) each won titles.

Rutgers cruised past second place Manhattan by 17.5 points, picking up 167 team points. In all, the Scarlet Knights earned seven IC4A qualifying marks.

The Scarlet went first, second and third in the 200m with Dunbar crossing the finish line first at 21.77. Stuart Tweedie was second and Jordan Jimerson placed third.  Dunbar, Jordan and Tweedie were also a part of the winning 4x400m relay team along with teammate Jordan Jimerson.

The Scarlet Knights captured a pair of crowns in the field events. Velez threw for a distance of 18.71m (61' 4 ¾") for first in the weight throw, while Eze leaped to a distance of 7.18m (23' 6 ¾") for the top spot in the long jump.

Women's Track & Field

The Rutgers women placed second at the 2015 Metropolitan Indoor Championship as Gabrielle Farquharson won a trio of events - 60m, 200m and long jump, Paige Senatore set a new PR in winning the 5000m and Kaprice James took home the 60m hurdle title.

Rutgers trailed champion St. John's by 14 points with a team total of 154. In all, the Scarlet Knights earned seven ECAC qualifying marks.

Farquharson won the 60m title in a time of 7.64 and took first in the 200m in 24.17. Bria Saunders followed Farquharson across the finish line the 200m in 24.57.  Farquharson also collected first in the long jump for the fourth straight time this season. The senior Scarlet Knight reached a distance of 6.03m (19' 9 ½").

Senatore posted a new personal best in the 5000m obliterating her previous time of 17:48.15 as the runner-up at last year's championships. This season, she took home the title with a finish of 17:27.37.  James also added in a first place finish for the Scarlet Knights in winning the 60m hurdles in a time of 8.83.

Swimming & Diving

Placing first in 12 of 13 events, Rutgers closed out its regular season schedule defeating both Georgetown and Providence last Saturday.  The Scarlet Knights topped the Hoyas by a score of 181.50-94.50 and the Friars by a final mark of 195-78.

Prior to the meet, Rutgers honored its four seniors.  In the meet, senior Caroline Carlisle earned a second-place finish in the 500 freestyle (5:09.99) and a fourth-place finish in the 200 freestyle (1:57.08).  Senior Lindsey Gibson-Brokop took a third-place in the 100 backstroke (1:01.28), along with assisting in a second-place finish in the 200 medley relay.  Senior Greta Leberfinger placed first in the 100 breaststroke with a season-best time of 1:03.41, along with tying for first in the 100 free with a result of 53.17. Leberfinger also contributed to a first-place finish in the 200 medley relay.  Finally, Brogan Lee wrapped up the senior showings recording a season-best time of 5:13.01 in the 500 free and a result of 2:15.47 in the 200 butterfly.

On the boards, the Scarlet Knight divers swept the leaderboard in both the 1-meter and 3-meter dives. Freshman Addison Walkowiak led the way with top marks of 286.65 in the 1-meter and a career-high 329.30 in the 3-meter.

RU returns to action at the 2014-15 Big Ten Swimming and Diving Championships in Columbus, Ohio being held Wednesday, Feb. 18 to Saturday, Feb. 21.

Gymnastics   4-7, 0-4 B1G

Performing best on floor exercise at 48.850, Rutgers gymnastics secured a 193.800 team score Sunday inside St. John Arena against No. 22 Ohio State. The Buckeyes won the dual meet with a 194.875 despite RU leading after three events.

"There were some positives today, but we need to learn how to put together a complete meet," head coach Louis Levine said. "We have been showing consistency on floor, but there is definitely room for improvement in all four events. We'll get back in the gym this week and prepare for our next meet."

The Scarlet Knights scored best in the third rotation on floor exercise, with sophomore April Baker leading the way with a team-high 9.825 routine. Senior Emma Hoffman and sophomore Claire Jones each contributed a 9.775, freshman Sahara Gipson posted a 9.750 and sophomore Charly Santagado added a 9.725.

RU started the meet on uneven bars, putting up a 48.475 in the first rotation. Two Scarlet Knights went over a 9.700 in the event, led by a 9.775 from junior Jenna Williams.

Baker produced a strong routine on vault as well, tying a season-high with a 9.825 in the event. Williams landed another 9.775, Gipson added a 9.750 and senior Sara Skammer contributed a 9.700 to help Rutgers earn a team score of 48.675.

Three Scarlet Knights went over 9.700 en route to a 47.800 team mark on balance beam. Jones secured a 9.800 in the event, the second time in as many meets Jones went over the 9.800 total. Junior Claudia Salinas contributed a 9.775 while freshman Elizabeth Groden added a 9.725.

Rutgers will next compete at home on Feb. 14 at 1 p.m. against Maryland, Ursinus and Cornell. The meet has already been announced as a sellout

Tennis  1-1, 0-0 B1G

Rutgers split two matches over the weekend, topping Fairleigh Dickinson, 6-1, and losing to Temple, 5-2.

The doubles pair of juniors Gina Li and Mariam Zein registered the first win with a 6-2 victory. The duo of Balsamo and freshman Chloe Lee also defeated FDU by a final score of 6-4. In singles action, Balsamo won at the No. 4 spot by scores of 6-4 and 6-3 to extend RU's lead. At the No. 5 spot, Zein notched a solid win over Alex Bryant, 6-1, 6-1, to secure Rutgers victory in the contest.

Junior Lindsey Kayati and Li rounded out the victories in singles play to give the Scarlet Knights a final match score of 6-1.

Against Temple, the Owls opened the contest with a sweep of the doubles matches. In singles action, Lindsey Kayti and Zein captured the two victories for RU. Kayati defeated Dina Karina at No. 2 spot by a result of 6-1, 6-3, while Zein defeated Monet Willis in dramatic fashion at No. 5 spot by a score of 6-4, 7-6 (4).